Golf training apparatus



May 6, 1969 G. F. FISHER GOLF TRAINING APPARATUS Filed March 8, 1967 I QI an I 0- PIC-3.3

FIG.2

I NVENTOR GE GEEFISHER ATTOR EY United States Patent U.S. Cl. 273-188 2Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for use in practicing theproper swing of a golf club including a padded neck piece, a belt, and abase plate adjustably connected together by a strong nylon cord, one endof which cord passes through the neck piece and is wrapped around themain cord to which it is secured by a knot and a tape having a pressuresensitive adhesive thereon. The other end of the cord passes through agrommet in the belt and through the eye of an eye bolt secured to andextending through the base plate. The cord is then passed upwardlythrough another grommet in the belt with its free end extending over thebelt and then downwardly to the length of cord extending between the eyebolt and the second mentioned grommet where it is adjustably secured bya knot.

My invention relates to apparatus for positioning the body whilepracticing to obtain the proper swing of a golf club.

One of the principal faults of the amateur golfer in driving a golf ballis that he raises his head as the head of the club approaches the ball.When the golfer raises his head as he is about to strike the ball, itgenerally results in the topping of the ball or it may result in acomplete miss. In accordance with the present invention, I have providedapparatus which when applied to the body of a golfer will keep his bodyin the desired position during each stroke. The apparatus is adjustableso that it may be applied to golfers of various height.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide anadjustable apparatus which may be applied to golfers of various heightwhich will hold his body in an inclined position although he has freemovement of his arms and may even turn his head to watch the flight ofthe ball during the followthrough of the head of the golf club.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved apparatus whichmay be applied to the body of a golfer and which when used inconjunction with a base plate on which the golfer stands, holds the bodyof the golfer in an inclined position but does not interfere with thefree movement of the arms or body of the golfer during the stroke.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational front view of my improved apparatus showing itapplies to a golfer with the golfer shown in dotted lines, together witha base plate on which the golfer stands;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the apparatus removed from the golfer;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but showing a side viewof the golfer in dotted lines standing on the base plate and with theremainder of the apparatus applied to the golfer; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on a plane passing through theline 44 of FIG. 2.

3,442,513 Patented May 6, 1969 As illustrated in the drawing, myimproved apparatus includes a padded neck piece 1 which if desired maybe formed of a foamed plastic material, such as rubber, protected by anouter layer of a vinyl plastic material, a belt 2 which may be formed offabric or leather, and a base plate 3 which may be formed of metal orwood, which parts 1, 2 and 3 may be connected together by a strong cord4, such as nylon cord, which may have a comparatively high tensilestrength, such as approximately 500 pounds when one end is fixed inplace and force is applied at the opposite end. As shown in FIG. 1 ofthe drawings, the pad 1 has an opening therein through which one end 5of the nylon cord extends which is wrapped around the main cord 4 and issecured thereto in any suitable manner, such as a knot or thecombination of a knot and adhesive tape. As shown, its free end extendsalongside of the main cord and is secured thereto by an adhesive tape,such as a tape formed of polyvinyl chloride having a coating of apressure sensitive adhesive thereon.

The cord 4 is then passed through a grommet 6 in the belt 2 whichgrommet may be composed of metal or rubber. From the grommet 6, the cordis passed through the opening of means, such as an eye bolt 8, securedto the base plate. The cord is then passed through a second grommet 9 inthe belt 2 which grommet may be formed of metal or rubber and fromthence over the upper edge of the belt 2 from which its free end isturned downwardly and is tied in any convenient manner to the main cord4, such as by means of a slip or bow knot. By adjusting the free end ofthe cord, it will be apparent that when the golfer stands on the bottomplate with the cord extending between his legs, the other end of thecord may be adjusted to hold the upper portion of the body of the golferat the desired inclination, irrespective of his height.

The eye bolt 8 may be secured to the base plate in any suitable manner.As shown the straight portion of the eye bolt extends through the baseplate and its lower end portion is bent at an angle of approximately toits straight portion and is pressed into a recess in the lower portionof the base plate.

In practicing the invention as shown more particularly in FIGS. 1 and 3,the pad 1 is placed behind the neck of the golfer and being flexibleconforms to the shape of his neck, the belt 2 is applied around thewaist of the golfer with the tongue of the buckle extending through thedesired hole in the belt, and the golfer places one foot on one side ofthe cord 4 and the other on the opposite side of the cord with his feetresting upon the base plate, The free end 10 of the cord is thenadjusted to hold the golfers body at the desired inclination during thegolf swing.

When the apparatus is applied to a golfer, the belt 2 is applied withsufficient snugness and tightened with the tongue of the buckleextending through the desired hole so that it will not slip and the freeend of the cord is pulled up a sufficient distance so that the body ofthe golfer including his head will be inclined at an angle from hiships.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for use in practicing golf swings including a neck pieceto be applied to the back of the golfers neck, an adjustable belt havinga pair of spaced grommets therein, means for securely fastening the beltto the body of the golfer, a base plate on which the golfer stands, saidbase plate having apertured means secured thereto and extending upwardlytherefrom, and a strong cord having a loop at one end secured to theneck piece, said cord extending from said loop through one of thegrommets in the belt and through the apertured means on the base plateand upwardly through the other grommet in said belt and then over thebelt and downwardly 3, therefrom to its free end which is adjustablysecured to the length of cord extending between said apertured means andsaid other grommet to hold the upper portion of the golfers bodyincluding his head at the desired inclination.

2. Apparatus for use in practicing golf swings as defined in claim 1 inwhich the neck piece is formed of foamed rubber protected by an outerlayer of a vinyl plastic material, the means secured to the base plateis an eye bolt with its eye portion extending upwardly therefrom, andthe cord which is secured to the neck piece, the base plate and whichpasses through the grommets in the belt is formed of Strong nylon havinga comparatively high tensile strength.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS GEORGE J. MARLO, PrimaryExaminer.

U.S. C1. X.R.

